Vancitygirl
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Posts posted by Vancitygirl
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Just chimming in with last three eats:
1) After Grouse Grind on Thursday we were torn between hole in the wall Sushi near Broadway and Main (companion wasn't sure of the place), but passed by Miko on Robson and chose that. Super fresh tuna sashimi, house roll was a mix of california, salmon and tuna and huge pieces of unagi! Too much to finish even after the exercise. Great service, overall A experience.
2) Friday tried to dine near the Ocean, but all patios in site were full. Went to the Crime Lab where there was at least an outdoor patio. Little bit too noisy with the traffic. Greatest thing was the Noble Blend wine by the glass by Joie - love that stuff. Split some fish cakes - too salmony (read fishy) and with some type of overcooked prawn pushed into them. Very good, and properly cooked, prawn and scallop brocettte. Refreshing citrus spinach salad. Mussels turned out to be partenered with clams, rather unexpected, but welcomed, but were a little too creamy on the sauce side for a hot day. I of course I criticed too much for my companion who ate everything happily. Really was rather good overall.
3) This is a strange one for me - Sunday brunch at the Paddlewheeler in New Westminster. Well, the story is this, I ran to New West with my running group (3 hr. run) and did not have any input into the brunch. Actually, I was nicely suprised by a great selection of beers - was a very important thirst quenching necessity - and the spinach, cheese and mushroom omelette. Not sure if it would have been as great with less distance behind me.
Onward to a week of new explorations!
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I am wondering if anyone has anything good to say about this place? I would also like to add that I am extremely glad that someone has the guts to completely tell it like it is. There seems to be so many "nice" things said about restaurants, and really, it is NOT ALL GOOD. It is great to just review places that are wonderful and, frankly, I'd prefer life to be all positive, but it is wonderful to see some reality too. Go Alexandra!
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"The whole 'warm schmoozy host with watery chai in hand' shtick has been done many ways by many people and adds little to the overall experience IMO."
What the bleep!!! I can't believe what I am reading here. I have had nothing but excellent meals, wines and genuinely awesome experiences a Vij's. The lamb popsicles, the mango chutney.....great wine list, etc.! Vikram and his staff are definitely not trying to pull off some act. He is a well known chef and, as we know in this city, chef's can have huge egos (I won't even begin with names, but you know who you are), however, he is always gracious and contributes hugely to this city's food scene. I know I am not alone in my love for Vij's - as we can all see by the lineups. Please stop the bashing!
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Over the course of this weekend I have seen a few wine menus. One VERY IMPRESSIVE - price wise and choice wise - one not - others.........????. What is the normal markup charged - and what does everyone think that a Vancouver Wine List should entail? More specitically - how many wines, from which countries, how much BC?? Please help. I am thirsty and interested.
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Everytime I see this thread come up I really feel I missed something. When oh when will you be doing the next one? Please soon.
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Alas - thought we'd try Watermark for lunch today - solidly booked. Another time. Lesson = plan ahead.
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By the same token, hopkin, you can spend a lots of money on your coffee at Starbucks or similar, and not be doing anything good at all for the coffee farmer, but rather paying for stylish décor and lining shareholders' pockets...
Shit, I was off to West for dinner, but by this rationale I'm moraly obligated to only dine at some east side co-operative work experience fair trade organic bistro. Damn my moral conscience, damn it to hell.
Just order some sustainable seafood and you will be redeemed!
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I will try to find out where these wines can be bought, as not all of them are unavailble.
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No showing up and just whipping it out.
The joke is so easy I refuse to make it.
And let me get something straight. As per 2roost, I should buy a bottle off the list in addition to the corkage? Why? In no other industry I can think of does provindng an service for a customer entitle the vendor to extra compensation.
Mr. Talent - I believe what was meant was buy a bottle that is on the list - ie bring in your own wine, but make sure it is a bottle on the list. That way it will still look like it has come from the restaurant. I don't really know if this makes a hell of a lot of sense, but I think that was what was meant.
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cheap coffee is nothing new, imperial nations have been peddling it for centuries at the mercy of poor farmers.
there is a coffee crisis, didn't ya know?
on the wide scale its about the green coffee trade (second largest commodity next to oil) and coffee-farming families struggle to survive. at the heart of the issue is too much cheap coffee on the market, which pushes the price of higher quality coffee down, and sinks hard working families into poverty.
devaluing coffee doesn't help, it hurts.
consumers need to seek quality coffee and refuse cheap coffee so that counties like vietnam and brasil who produce a glut of crap coffee for cheap realise its not worth it. they're growing it because we're buying it.
this is the simplist way i can explain it.
you may think it has nothing to do with you saving a buck on your latte,
but i really think it does.
i know nothing of the store mentioned, I'm just saying don't buy for price buy for quality.
"life is too short for bad coffee".
I just googled fair trade coffee in the hope of finding a list of Vancouver Coffee houses that sell the product. There is a site www.fairtradecoffee.ca - but it doesn't exist. Anyone know?? I know that Salt Spring Island coffee is all fair trade and that many coffee shops (Pane from Heaven for sure) ensure that they serve only fair trade. Does anyone know of a site or have a listing of the places that sell only fair trade. Also, if the price of coffee is cheap - it could mean that the establishment is subsidizing the cost in the hope that they will draw people in and they will then buy other products = bait. (coffee may still be fair trade).
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Oh, I just had a thought... STARTING POINT OF ANOTHER RUMOUR ALERT! Perhaps they will be taking the Coco Pazzo spot on W57th. Too perfect to even consider, duck confit whims fulfilled in 10 minutes...
You poor, hungry, desparate man. I feel your pain. Try living in North Burnaby ... Pear Tree notwithstanding.
A.
hey hey hey - This is supposed to be dedicated to posting about where to take my best girlfriend - get those posts on openings and closings!!!
Actually - JUST REALLY JOKING.
Back onto the topic - oh how I wish the world really did revolve around me...the agenda will now include:
1) Opus Hotel for their Brasilia bash from 6-8 pm Friday - then if we are feeling cool enough - Lift (for the view - inside and out)
2) Saturday - Nachos & Beer at the sailing club at Jericho - purely for the view (my membership at the Vancouver Yaught Club expired)
3) Sunday will be Dim Sum - probably Imperial (Sun Sui Wah will be too busy by the time we can get there)
4) DINNER ON SUNDAY!!!
Narrowed down to:
a. Bacchus
b. Bis Moreno
c. Cafe de Paris
d. Saveur
Still not 100% sure!
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When I go out to eat I am sometimes in the mood to people watch and antics are fabulous for these occasions. I frequently enjoy wearing a plunging neckline and rather high shoes and hitting the town with all my best girls and checking out the scene. I've done my time at all 3 restaurants, not to mention the Opus Bar, and loved it. BUT - other times I would rather avoid the places that are sometimes more about showing off oneself and less about showing off the best food in a genuinely modest way. (Think of Mark Taylor at Cru - best service - great restaurant - not a drop of pretentiousness) In other words I want a down home and friendly feeling, not an uptown and snotty feeling. It's all about the mood.
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I can't believe it, but I am at a loss. My best and most special girlfriend is coming back to Vancouver (long-time resident) and I must take her for the best meal possible. It is also her birthday dinner!! Has to be either Downtown or West Side as we will be stationed at Broadway and Arbutus and won't want to travel mega miles. There are some problems. She has been everywhere!!! So, although we love these places, it has to be something different. Can't be our favourites so that eliminates -
Cru, Aurora Bistro, Quatro, C, Rancity Grill, Bis Moreno, any Umberto's, Cioppinos, Pastis, Vij's, West, Blue Water Cafe, Cin Cin, Parkside Room, Feenie's, Lumiere, Chambar, Cassis, le Gavroche and who knows what else! It will be this Friday, so PLEASE HELP ME!! Must be somewhere with bar none the best service and no pretense (ie Lift,, Coast, Glowbal = NO!!) What to do???
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Powdered mashed potatoes, mechanically separated turkey, cubed squash substitute and some cold Ponsardins at the Maternity Bistro.
Alexander Innes Morrison has joined our table finally, all 8 pounds 5 ounces of him.
I love the name! Congratulations - hope you are out and on your way to some better meals.
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For those interested, this morning's Vancouver Sun's travel section is a wealth of information of wines in our backyard - the Fraser Valley. I have to say that my favorite is the Township 7 - no dining area though, but I had some great pate and cheeses at their Naramata property while barrel sampling during this Spring's winefest.
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So you need some Nota Bene - funny you ask as I foolishly decided that with my wine pairing last night I would do a vertical tasting of the 01, 02, 03 and decanted 2 bottles of each - the hilarious part is that the group of guests we have in got into my secret stash of absinthe before dinner and between the 18 of them polished 3 bottles alongside all of the beer and cocktails they were drinking - by dinner (at 9:30pm) they wouldn't have known the difference if I had poured them Farnese.
Commiserations. I hope that your people were still vertical when they left, after 3 bottles of absinthe among 18...
This is a terrible shame. If you ever need dinner guests that would appreciate this opportunity and arrive and leave (well maybe) sober enough to remember the occassion, I have a few numbers.
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Recently heard that Ken Bogas's Coco Pazzo has closed. . .
Unfortunately the room itself was loud and precluded any conversation whatsoever. I used to joke that the only people who ate there on a regular basis where those whose marriage was in trouble - you couldn't talk to each other even if you wanted to.
Coco Pazzo has indeed closed and the proprietor, who also closed Mangiamo and Saltimbocca (the unpaid architect at the time said "Bogas by name and by nature"), reportedly left a number of supliers on the hook, apparently including one local winery for five large. The bailiff's sign on the door says that $22,000 is owing on back rent; Bogas tells a different story.
The crowd often resembled a Crofton House PTA meeting--with Hermes scarves aflutter, alligator shirts and Polo aftershave aplenty. Many of them had long decamped for Henry's Kitchen at half the price and fine dining in Greater Kerrisdale is once again no more.
Hey, the wife and I ate at Coco Pazzo and as far as I know our relationship is healthy... The hard walls did lead to loud conversations, but I liked the room's feel nonetheless (well except for the open kitchen). There were some well made up couples dining there for sure, but I also saw a couple younger families there on occasion, and when 8-10 year old kids are enjoying that type of food it makes up for the bronzed but aging trophy wife sitting two tables down.
I am sad to see it go, it was one of the decent options close to home. However, I suppose it a not surprise given the signs leading up to this point. (Many many promotions and long-time staff leaving.)
I heard a rumour last night that the landlord had already signed a lease with another restauranteur before the door was locked - but it could not be confirmed who. Also - as I pray this could be true - another at the table mentioned that Andrey Durbach had been by to check out the space. ANOTHER PARKSIDE IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD!!! If only. Anyone have the true story??
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Parkside is the choice here. They have an excellent wine list and I have had nothing but amazing meals there.
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You can purchase the 2002 Estate Chardonnay at Mark Anthony, 962 West King Edward (at Oak), 604-739-9463. It is $29.99 a bottle. The other (Reserve) Chardonnay vintage is 2003 for around $19.99.
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This is an excerpt from the Vitamin V newsletter (always a great source of information - food and otherwise www.vitaminv.ca)
At The Farm House Natural Cheeses in Agassiz, the Boyes family matriarch makes not just delicious artisan cheeses, but gorgeous organic butter from their own dairy cows. The weekly batches sell out in a day (and people come from Vancouver to get it), so call ahead to reserve yours ($5 for 1/2 Lb.) and make it your Sunday drive.
The Farm House Natural Cheeses
5634 McCallum Road, Agassiz, 1-604-796-8741
Monday to Saturday 10 a.m-5 p.m.
Sunday 1-5 p.m.
www.farmhousecheeses.com
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I just called and the restaurant - supposed to open today, but "not for a few more days". Asked if menu was online yet - no. So, got the run down.
Asian inspired, a lot of seafood, pizzas, spring rolls, clams, shrimp, mussels, 6 dinner salads, ceaser, etc.
Burgers, Steak, Duck, Chicken, Lamb, Stirfries
What would have been awesome is if the downstairs concession was the second home to Go Fish - where is Gord when we need him!
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Not far from both Bread Garden and Pane from Heaven (who, by the waystopped making bread because the poor owners were up half the night baking it and were not make any money on it) is Patisserie Lebeau on 1728 West 2nd avenue. Amazing waffles, the best brie and chicken sandwiches AND wonderful take home bread.
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When we were young and foolish, the keg had the best nachos and would serve us "real" drinks too (we were 14!) They had a layer of refried beans on the bottom. Not so long ago, I organized a beer and nacho night for my friends once, but had a rather lacklustre turn out. We had GREAT Nachos at Dix Pub on Beatty Street - pulled chicken, beef and BBQ beans.
http://www.markjamesgroup.com/restbrew/dix...allday_2004.pdf
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Oh, wait, I forgot about The Ivy (it was very long ago). So 7.
10!
Mystery Restaurants of Vancouver
in Western Canada: Dining
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That is so funny - I am stealing that phrase! I too have seen this crowd!